Communications Associate

Santa Catalina School is a vibrant, independent, Catholic school offering student-centered co-education to PreK through grade 8 and an all-girls’ boarding and day college preparatory upper school serving grades 9 through 12. Santa Catalina exists to develop in each student a striving for excellence, a maturing awareness of moral and spiritual values, a sense of responsible purpose, and a determination to serve the world with courage, grace, and compassion. With the cornerstones of excellence, spirituality, service, and responsibility, the school is committed to providing a supportive learning community for each student to grow in their intellectual, personal, and spiritual life, making Santa Catalina a transformational educational experience for its students.

Position Summary

Santa Catalina School, a nationally recognized PreK–12 independent Catholic school in Monterey, California, seeks a Communications Associate to help tell the story of the school’s vibrant community. Reporting to the Director of Communications, this person plays a central role in shaping and sharing the school’s presence across marketing channels, with an emphasis on social media storytelling. The ideal candidate is collaborative, creative, curious, visually oriented, a problem-solver, and attuned to the evolution of social media. This is a hands-on role that requires someone who is comfortable building relationships across campus and excited to engage directly with students, faculty, and school life.

Position Description

Working in close partnership with the Director of Communications, the Communications Associate manages the school’s day-to-day social media presence and creates content that supports Santa Catalina School’s marketing and communications goals. This person collaborates across departments as a core member of the communications team, helping colleagues think about how to best communicate their purposes and ensuring alignment with institutional priorities. The role also supports website updates, project coordination, and the development of digital and print communications materials, including writing, editing, and design.

Santa Catalina School believes that each employee makes a significant contribution to its success. That contribution should not be limited by the assigned responsibilities. Therefore, this position description is designed to outline primary duties, qualifications, and job scope, but not limit the incumbent nor the organization to adjust the work identified. It is our expectation that each employee will offer their services wherever and whenever necessary to ensure the success of our endeavors.

Essential Responsibilities

• Create and manage content across social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube)
• Maintain and execute a content calendar aligned with school priorities and key moments
• Create engaging, on-brand content (photo, video, graphics, captions) that reflects school identity
• Capture photo and video coverage of campus life, events, and programs
• Monitor engagement, respond to inquiries, and foster a positive online community
• Track performance metrics (social media and basic web analytics) to inform strategy and improve engagement
• Stay current on digital trends, tools, and best practices to enhance content effectiveness
• Collaborate across departments to identify stories and support communications needs
• Manage communications projects from concept to completion as assigned, ensuring quality and timeliness
• Support development and execution of broader communications strategies and campaigns
• Assist with writing and editing for the website, newsletters, and school magazine
• Maintain and update website content; support SEO and user experience improvements
• Help ensure consistency in messaging, voice, and brand across all communications
• Support the design of print and promotional materials, including brochures, advertisements, posters, banners, flyers, and other publications, as needed
• Provide administrative and production support for Communications Office projects

Supervisory Responsibilities

• This position does not supervise other employees

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in marketing, communications, digital media, journalism, or a related field
• Experience in social media, digital communications, marketing, and/or content creation preferred
• Strong instincts for storytelling and audience engagement
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficiency with major social media platforms and familiarity with scheduling and content management tools
• Basic photography and videography skills, including comfort capturing and editing content on a smartphone or camera
• Experience with video editing tools such as CapCut, iMovie, Adobe Premiere, or similar platforms
• Experience with Canva, Adobe Creative Suite, or similar design tools
• Ability to interpret analytics and use data to improve digital performance
• Strong organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines
• Familiarity with website content management systems preferred
• Availability for occasional evening and weekend school events
• A commitment to the mission and identity of Santa Catalina School
• A desire to participate fully in the Santa Catalina community
• Successful completion of a LiveScan criminal background check as required by law

Competencies

• Curious, creative, and energized by the pace and purpose of a school community
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to recognize compelling moments and turn them into engaging stories
• Self-starter who takes initiative while thriving in a collaborative environment
• Willingness to ask questions, explore new ideas, and continuously improve
• Flexible and adaptable, able to navigate the unpredictable rhythm and shifting priorities of a school day
• Resilient and collaborative in high-pressure or challenging moments, contributing positively to team problem-solving
• Creative thinker who enjoys ideating, troubleshooting, and finding solutions in real time
• Skilled at building authentic relationships across a community
• Positive, approachable presence with a strong sense of humor

Working Conditions and Compensation

• Be able to sit and meet with colleagues for extended periods of time each day
• Work at a desk and computer screen for extended periods of time each day
• Ability to access buildings and facilities throughout a 36-acre campus, with reasonable accommodations, in order to meet with students and employees
• Ability to work in various positions, including, but not limited to, standing, bending over, crouching, sitting, reaching, and needing to lift up to 50 lbs.
• Work in a school environment with a wide variety of challenges, deadlines, and people
• Santa Catalina School offers competitive insurance and retirement benefits
• Salary Range: $26–$34/hour, depending on experience

Equal Employment Opportunity

Santa Catalina School is an equal-opportunity employer. Employment at Santa Catalina School is based solely on qualifications and competence for a particular position, without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions and reproductive health decision-making), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, national origin, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic characteristics, citizenship, military or veteran status, off-duty and off-premises use of cannabis, age,  victims of a qualifying act of violence or other categories defined by state law, federal law or local ordinance.

To Apply

Interested candidates should visit our website to complete and submit an application, resume, and cover letter: santacatalina.org/employment. Electronic submission of candidate papers in .pdf format is preferred.

Santa Catalina provides reasonable accommodations to employees and applicants with disabilities. Applicants who need accommodations to participate in the application process should contact [email protected].